Movie theaters have nothing anymore, how we got here

evil wasabi

The Jongmaster
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Here's my subjective opinion: 1986 was singularly the best year for movies in America, period. It was the one year when there was always something to go see.

I have subjectively curated lists of the best movies from each year, leaving out a lot that you may think should be in there, but these are my lists. So feel free to make your own and convince me I'm wrong.
1980
Empire Strikes Back
The Shining
Raging Bull
Friday the 13th
Airplane
The Elephant Man
Blues Brothers
Caddy Shack
Flash Gordon
Altered States
Inferno

1981
Raiders of the Lost Ark
An American Werewolf in London
Stripes
Evil Deal
Escape from New York
Time Bandits
History of the World Part I
Heavy Metal
Scanners
Mad Max 2
Clash of the Titans

1982
Blade Runner
Poltergeist
The Thing
Conan the Barbarian
Rocky III
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Creep Show
Swamp Thing
Tron
E.T. (kind of had to include this because of the times)

1983
Risky Business
Return of the Jedi
War Games
Scarface
Trading Places
The Dead Zone
Videodrome
A Christmas Story
The Hunger (because David Bowie)
Christine
Monty Python and the Meaning of Life
Krull
Lone Wolf McQuaid
The Man with Two Brains

1984
Terminator
Gremlins
Karate Kid
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Beverly Hills Cop
Nightmare on Elm Street
Revenge of the Nerds
Red Dawn
Police Academy
Conan the Destroyer
Amadeus
Repo Man
The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai
Children of the Corn
Dune
C.H.U.D.

1985
Back to the Future
Goonies
Rambo First Blood Part II
Weird Science
Rocky 4
Teen Wolf
Commando
True Genius
Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome
Peewee's Big Adventure
Reanimator
Brazil
Day of the Dead
Red Sonya

1986
Big Trouble In Little China
Platoon
Top Gun
Ferris Bueler's Day Off
Aliens
The Fly
Highlander
Labyrinth
Critters
Blue Velvet
Crocodile Dundee
Manhunter
Howard the Duck
Back To School
Karate Kid 2
Three Amigos
The Wraith
Cobra
The Golden Child
Delta Force
F/X

Compared to following years, it's clear that 1986 had volume and quality over other years
1987
Predator
Lethal Weapon
Evil Dead 2
Robocop
Lost Boys
Untouchables
Running Man
Raising Arizona
Full Metal Jacket
Hellraiser
Wall Street
Space Balls

1988
Die Hard
The Naked Gun
They Live
Beetlejuice
Coming to America
Willow
Childs Play
Red Heat
Bloodsport

1989
Batman
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Abyss
Ghostbusters II
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Roadhouse
Glory
Weekend at Bernies
Uncle Buck


1984 could win a best year in American film just for pure quality, but the balance of quality and quantity is 1986. Yet from 1986 to 1989 the list of movies that I would want to see in the theater diminished, and I wasn't even trying to leave stuff each the lists each year. I put Abyss on there only because I did see it in the theater - but truth be told, I didn't really want to.

It appears, for me, that while each of the years in the 1980s had some strong movies that I love, 1986 was where production peaked. Like 1996 in arcade games.

2018: lots of forgettable movies that won't be socially relevant in a few years I guess. As much as I like Mandy, that's it. I can't imagine looking back on 2018 in a few years and saying, man, I could really watch Deadpool 2 again, or Black Panther, or Infinity Wars, or Aquaman (which I haven't seen so I shouldn't mention it, but it does look like crap).
 

famicommander

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1994:
Forrest Gump
The Lion King
True Lies
The Mask
Speed
Dumb and Dumber
Pulp Fiction
Ace Ventura, Pet Detective
Naked Gun 33 1/3
Major League II
D2: the Mighty Ducks
The Crow
The Shawshank Redemption
Little Giants
Street Fighter
 

Ralfakick

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So how did we get where we are today? What is your conclusion?

Is it because of streaming services legal or not, is everything too accessible now?
Is it because all people want to go to the movies for is big budget action tentpoles?
Is it because "horror"/ Madea movies are cheaper to make?
Is it risk aversion by big studios?

These are what I think the reasons are, what are your thought?

I don't know how art house movies survive nowadays competing with Netflix/Amazon for movies.

Personally I think 2011 was my last favorite year for movies judging by the Oscar nominations.
 
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smokehouse

I was Born This Ugly.,
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Here, I'll complete the 90's...it wasn't so bad.

1995:
Braveheart
Toy Story
Seven
12 Monkeys
Apollo 13
Usual Suspects
Heat
Casino
Jumanji
Die Hard III
Bad Boys
Babe
Billy Madison
Crimson Tide
Tommy Boy
Hackers
Mallrats

Movies of 1996:
Fargo
Trainspotting
Sling Blade
Jerry Maguire
People vs Larry Flint
Mars Attacks
Space Jam
Matilda
Happy Gillmore
Kingpin
ST: First Contact
The Birdcage
Dusk til Dawn
Eraser

Movies of 1997:
Titanic
Face/Off
The Fifth Element
LA Confidential
MIB
Starship Troopers
Con Air
As good as it gets
Goodwill Hunting
Jackie Brown Boogie Nights
The Game
Devil's Advocate
Donnie Brasco
Gattaca
The Full Monty
Air Force One
Liar Liar
Chasing Amy
Event Horizon
Lost Highway

1998 (slower year, mostly garbage):
Truman Show
Saving Private Ryan
Big Lebowski
Something About Mary
Dark City
Bugs Life
Fear and Loathing
Blade
Ame History X
Rushmore
What Dreams may Come
Ronin

1999:
Matrix
Fight Club
Sixth Sense
Ame Beauty
Toy Story 2
Blair Witch
Being John Malkovich
SW Episode I
Iron Giant
Magnolia
Eyes Wide Shut
Green Mile
Office Space
Sleepy Hollow
Galaxy Quest
South Park
Man on the Moon
Stir of Echos
Mystery Men
Payback
The Hurricane
 

HDRchampion

Before you sell me something, ask how well my baby
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1994:
Forrest Gump
The Lion King
True Lies
The Mask
Speed
Dumb and Dumber
Pulp Fiction
Ace Ventura, Pet Detective
Naked Gun 33 1/3
Major League II
D2: the Mighty Ducks
The Crow
The Shawshank Redemption
Little Giants
Street Fighter

You forgot The Professional, Natural Born Killers, Clerks, Maverick, & Hoop Dreams.

Not to mention two greatest modern MA films Drunken Master 2 & Fist of Legends.

1984-1986 was my childhood. 1994 had great list of films too.

My fav year was 1984.
 

oliverclaude

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I can't imagine looking back on 2018 in a few years and saying, man, I could really watch Deadpool 2 again, or Black Panther, or Infinity Wars, or Aquaman (which I haven't seen so I shouldn't mention it, but it does look like crap).

I'd risk the assumption that the internet, this never ending time machine, this never drying-out source of information, replaced the importance of film today. Somehow we stopped making our own experiences, continuing to fish for ideas in this overwhelming pond, mistaking them for real experiences. So while stories become just copies (all super hero films) or, at best, postmodern mashups of the past (The Matrix), the average moviegoer doesn't need to watch a film to be part of the society anymore. He goes online and is always on to remain part of it.

Film lost its relevance, but we also lost the ability to understand its image based language. Look at paintings from centuries ago, they tell stories we wouldn't understand anymore. Stories told through a subtle gesture, a symbolic fruit, numerology, mysticism... all lost to us. We barely understand references anymore, but even if we do, they would just refer us to somebody's fake experiences from the pond, not his own. That's irrelevant, indeed plain boring, thus adequately fitting today's misconception of political correctness as a sort of panacea-like compromise.
 

SouthtownKid

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I have to say, Stripes doesn't hold up very well.

Although I do still say, "Lighten up, Francis" to people on a fairly regular basis.
 

evil wasabi

The Jongmaster
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I'd risk the assumption that the internet, this never ending time machine, this never drying-out source of information, replaced the importance of film today. Somehow we stopped making our own experiences, continuing to fish for ideas in this overwhelming pond, mistaking them for real experiences. So while stories become just copies (all super hero films) or, at best, postmodern mashups of the past (The Matrix), the average moviegoer doesn't need to watch a film to be part of the society anymore. He goes online and is always on to remain part of it.

Film lost its relevance, but we also lost the ability to understand its image based language. Look at paintings from centuries ago, they tell stories we wouldn't understand anymore. Stories told through a subtle gesture, a symbolic fruit, numerology, mysticism... all lost to us. We barely understand references anymore, but even if we do, they would just refer us to somebody's fake experiences from the pond, not his own. That's irrelevant, indeed plain boring, thus adequately fitting today's misconception of political correctness as a sort of panacea-like compromise.

Right, I think that's the issue too. Back in the 1980s, studios weren't as shell shocked from watching their friends close down. A lot of these studios were taking big risks left and right. You had De Laurentiis producing great movies thorugh the 1980s until 1988 and then it just sputtered. Golan Globus was pumping out action films twice a year or more, like Cobra, Bloodsport, Cyborg, Kickboxer, Delta Force, Masters of the Universe, Ninjas, Deathwishes, and then the 90s come along and Golan Globus disappears, kind of. I would like to imagine that the stock market crash of October 19 1987, aka black monday, was a factor. From that point, studios didn't have the same amount of funding for risky endeavors. Studios became more fiscally conservative and as a result, creatively conservative as well.
 

fake

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Movie theaters have candy and those Dyson Airblade toilets that blow my piss all over the place.
 

pixeljunkie

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I'm starting to think it's an accumulative effect. We've stacked great film/media on top of itself for 75+ years and now we are

A.) over stimulated by it all
B.) everything is derivative at this point
C.) technology is destroying traditional outlets

I'm hoping there is a repeat of the renaissance we saw in the 70's where art was the driving force and not dollars. Not holding my breath, but it would be nice.

Goddamn '84 was a good year. I'm wondering if we all were abducted at the end of '84 and taken off-world? Actual earth is still getting good art but we peaked in '84 - just floating the fuck along in our tanks, powering Moloch in the abyss.

I would like to imagine that the stock market crash of October 19 1987, aka black monday, was a factor. From that point, studios didn't have the same amount of funding for risky endeavors. Studios became more fiscally conservative and as a result, creatively conservative as well.

Very strong point
 
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HDRchampion

Before you sell me something, ask how well my baby
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Movies are sucking but the TV shows are a lot better now then before.
 

smokehouse

I was Born This Ugly.,
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I'm starting to think it's an accumulative effect. We've stacked great film/media on top of itself for 75+ years and now we are

A.) over stimulated by it all
B.) everything is derivative at this point
C.) technology is destroying traditional outlets

I'm hoping there is a repeat of the renaissance we saw in the 70's where art was the driving force and not dollars. Not holding my breath, but it would be nice.

Goddamn '84 was a good year. I'm wondering if we all were abducted at the end of '84 and taken off-world? Actual earth is still getting good art but we peaked in '84 - just floating the fuck along in our tanks, powering Moloch in the abyss.



Very strong point

When it comes to blockbusters, you are 100% correct. Video games are suffering from the exact same thing (and I think we're starting to see it slowly turn around). Everything got too big, too expensive, too much expectation in financial return. Production studios didn't want to take risks on young directors, developers, writers, you name it...so they stuck with "safe". Safe is 197 million dollar budget blockbuster films on infinite repeat with the hopes of making 650 million in return. We get Avengers part 23, Transformers pt 7 and an ocean of once successful films.

The game industry got too big, and now you're seeing the uprising of small, quick on their feet passionate developers making cheap games that are back to the roots of fun play-ability. I hope we see the same in the film industry.
 

GregN

aka The Grinch
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I agree. The only movies I've seen the last few years in the theatre have been Disney stuff. Star Wars, etc. I just don't watch movies anymore like I used to. It's all Netflix for me. I play more games than I used to.
 

100proof

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When it comes to blockbusters, you are 100% correct. Video games are suffering from the exact same thing (and I think we're starting to see it slowly turn around). Everything got too big, too expensive, too much expectation in financial return. Production studios didn't want to take risks on young directors, developers, writers, you name it...so they stuck with "safe". Safe is 197 million dollar budget blockbuster films on infinite repeat with the hopes of making 650 million in return. We get Avengers part 23, Transformers pt 7 and an ocean of once successful films.

The game industry got too big, and now you're seeing the uprising of small, quick on their feet passionate developers making cheap games that are back to the roots of fun play-ability. I hope we see the same in the film industry.

I would argue it's already happening in film too... just not in the movie theater space. The difference is that the game distribution outlets (Steam, Microsoft, Sony and to a lesser extent, Nintendo) embraced indie game development from the outset. 90+% of all movie theater screens in America are owned by three corporations (AMC, Cinemark, Regal) and pretty much do whatever the film industry tells them to. So if you're not produced by or distributed by one of the major studios, the chances of getting your movie into 90+% of the nation's theaters are slim to nil.

What we're getting instead is Netflix and Amazon (who have made a ton of movies over the past few years at a variety of different budgets in a wealth of different genres) and a vibrant independent film market being served by streaming and digital download services. There are also a number of smaller production and distribution companies that are bubbling up in the wake of Miramax/Weinstein cratering: A24, STX, Annapurna and others are starting to fill in those gaps of prestige (Oscar-bait) movies and low-budget stuff like horror movies and comedies.

Movies are doing just fine. Sure if you don't like comic book movies, the action film is in a bit of a drought. And the big studios don't take many chances on mid-level budget movies anymore (particularly if the director isn't Spielberg or Scorcese) but a lot of that good mid-level budget stuff has just moved to TV and the rest is being covered by smaller, up-and-coming studios and production companies.

IMO, the only thing that's slowly dying is the googleplex movie theater chains. People still want to watch movies... they either just want to go to a theater that respects them as customers (the high-end, smaller chains like the Alamo and Cobb's) or they'll just watch their shit at home on streaming services or by purchasing/downloading digital copies.
 

evil wasabi

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I would argue it's already happening in film too... just not in the movie theater space. The difference is that the game distribution outlets (Steam, Microsoft, Sony and to a lesser extent, Nintendo) embraced indie game development from the outset. 90+% of all movie theater screens in America are owned by three corporations (AMC, Cinemark, Regal) and pretty much do whatever the film industry tells them to. So if you're not produced by or distributed by one of the major studios, the chances of getting your movie into 90+% of the nation's theaters are slim to nil.

What we're getting instead is Netflix and Amazon (who have made a ton of movies over the past few years at a variety of different budgets in a wealth of different genres) and a vibrant independent film market being served by streaming and digital download services. There are also a number of smaller production and distribution companies that are bubbling up in the wake of Miramax/Weinstein cratering: A24, STX, Annapurna and others are starting to fill in those gaps of prestige (Oscar-bait) movies and low-budget stuff like horror movies and comedies.

Movies are doing just fine. Sure if you don't like comic book movies, the action film is in a bit of a drought. And the big studios don't take many chances on mid-level budget movies anymore (particularly if the director isn't Spielberg or Scorcese) but a lot of that good mid-level budget stuff has just moved to TV and the rest is being covered by smaller, up-and-coming studios and production companies.

IMO, the only thing that's slowly dying is the googleplex movie theater chains. People still want to watch movies... they either just want to go to a theater that respects them as customers (the high-end, smaller chains like the Alamo and Cobb's) or they'll just watch their shit at home on streaming services or by purchasing/downloading digital copies.

Quantity is high, but the quality of movies is low. Take for example Birdbox, a forgettable acclaimed movie about Sandra Bullock auditioning for A Quiet Place, or Roma, which was 20 minutes of opening credits followed by an epiphany that no one wanted to actually watch it. Netflix is very willing to spend money to make movies, but there’s no quality control, and hence, dubious quantities of quality. But yet, lots of quantity, and eventually, they have to strike gold, eventually.
 

terry.330

Time? Astonishing!
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Well the middle area which has always bread creativity doesn't exist like it used to. You still get Dredd and Mandy on occasion but even compared to when I was in HS in the late 90s and there was always something every weekend. Fight Club, Matrix, Dark City etc.

Mid 80s were magical. The fact that Buckaroo Banzai exists is amazing.

Last time I went to the theater was to see Annihilation which was a tuesday matinee and the people sitting next to me were in their mid 20s and wouldn't shut up and constantly had their phones out. Everyone else was constantly shushing them and it wasn't until I called the girl a stupid cunt that they actually left.

Look at Dale and Tucker, if it can't be properly marketed to dipshits it's not worth the budget to the studio.

I dunno it's not just us getting old either. People are stupid, really stupid.
 

greedostick

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1983:
The Outsiders

1986:
Stand By Me

1989:
Harlem Nights

1992:
A League of Their Own

1994:
Clerks
Fresh - Samuel L. Jackson

1996:
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault

1999:
Office Space

2000:
Memento
The Beach

2001:

Fellowship of the Ring

2002:
City of God - One of the best movies ever.
The Two Towers

2003:
Oldboy
Return of the King

2006:
Pans Labyrinth
Letters from Iwo Jima

2008:
Let the Right One In

2009:
Sin Nombre


I think there are multiple factors to consider why going to the movies sucks these days.

1. Almost all movies are marketed on special effects first, and a good story second. This means that the vast majority of movies are pure shit to everyone, except that guy who only pays attention to special effects. Which just so happens to be the majority of Americans. What I'm getting at here is, that people go to the movies still. It's just people like us don't much, because we can see straight through their CG bullshit.

2. Super Hero movies are getting played out as fuck. It was cool when the first spider man reboot released in 2002. This was a good time for movies till just shortly after Dark Knight Returns came out in 2008. It was nice to see some high production comic movies with good stories come out.

In my opinion though, after Dark Knight, I got incredibly annoyed that every fucking movie coming out is yet another comic movie. Seriously, It's time to move on folks... Unfortunately I think I am the only person who feels this way, because everyone I know always raves the latest Marvel/DC movie is "THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!"

3. All horror movies pretty much suck. It's unfortunate with today's technology, that A Nightmare on Elm Street is still creepier than anything released in the last 20 years.

4. There are no original stories being told. This goes back to the comics. Script Writers are digging deeper and deeper into the comic vault, and there's no end in sight. They will keep retelling these stories until they are forced to make shit like "The Dazzler".

5. No good westerns.

6. No good baseball, or sports related movies.

7. No good comedies - They are pretty wretched lately. That may be putting it lightly. The previews before the Alita movie featured maybe the worst comedy of all time. I'm glad I wiped the name of the movie from my brain.

8. Sci fi is pretty much non-existent outside star wars, and disappointing Ridley Scott movies.

Basically the conclusion I have came to is that no one has any good ideas, and film makers are going to run with the comic based narratives until it not profitable. Maybe then we will see good movies again, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

I personally rely more on foreign and independent movies these days. As you may have seen from the list I made. I think they are still in a state, especially in China, where they are not putting quite the budget into a movie as we are here in America. They're still dropping some serious Yuan though, but not enough where they can afford to rely on special effects to carry them. They still need some story.

Movies like "Admiral: Roaring Currents", give me hope that there are still good movies being made, you just have to look for them.

Also - Comic movies were a blessing, and are now a curse on the movie industry. I blame them, and Americans poor tastes in moves, as the sole reason there is nothing amazing coming out anymore..
 
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terry.330

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Actually horror is about the best it's ever been. There has been some awesome stuff in the last few years. It's just almost all streaming and Redbox.

The big problem with wide release horror is it's all PG-13 jump scare garbage. No real gore or nudity. Crap like Slender Man, Happy Death Day etc. On the flip side you have The Witch, It Follows, Hereditary.
 

SpamYouToDeath

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For me it's just technology-driven. I don't like going to a theater. I've never had a good experience at one. They always manage to screw up the presentation somehow - and if I'm literally paying you just to show me a movie, that's a pretty big deal.

So I bought a bigass OLED panel and I sit at home and watch movies instead. Blu-Ray, streaming, pirated, whatever. I don't think it's so much about the distribution method - but that I can choose whatever I want from the back-catalog without having to see what's "in theaters everywhere on such-and-such date". So, there's no longer the focus and urgency that a wide theatrical distribution implies.
 

greedostick

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Actually horror is about the best it's ever been. There has been some awesome stuff in the last few years. It's just almost all streaming and Redbox.

The big problem with wide release horror is it's all PG-13 jump scare garbage. No real gore or nudity. Crap like Slender Man, Happy Death Day etc. On the flip side you have The Witch, It Follows, Hereditary.

You need to shoot me some recommendations next time I see you.
 

HeavyMachineGoob

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Here's my subjective opinion: 1986 was singularly the best year for movies in America, period. It was the one year when there was always something to go see.

[snip]

How did you put Ghostbusters II on the list, but not Ghostbusters (1984)?
 

Ralfakick

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No good baseball, or sports related movies.

I'm not a sports movie fan because most of the time its the same small time team triumphs over the big team or some variation of that, but I thought 2011's Moneyball (one of the Oscar nominated best pictures) was a pretty decent sports movie made in the past 10 years
 

wyo

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Actually horror is about the best it's ever been. There has been some awesome stuff in the last few years. It's just almost all streaming and Redbox.

The big problem with wide release horror is it's all PG-13 jump scare garbage. No real gore or nudity. Crap like Slender Man, Happy Death Day etc. On the flip side you have The Witch, It Follows, Hereditary.

Agree 100%. Modern horror by and large shits all over the 1980s. What's missing today is quality action and adventure movies.
 

HDRchampion

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How did you put Ghostbusters II on the list, but not Ghostbusters (1984)?

He also forgot never ending story, once upon time in america, romancing the stone,footloose, top secret! and of course my fav Breakin.
 
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